When the megillah discusses Mordechai and Esther's declaration of the holiday Purim, it states (Esther 9:19) that they established Purim to be מנות ומשלוח טוב ויום ומשתה שמחה, “an occasion of gladness, feasting and yom tov, and sending mishloach manos to one another.”
Afterward, when the pasuk discusses the holiday of Purim that the Jewish nation accepted, it states (9:22), משתה ימי אותם לעשות לאביונים ומתנות לרעהו איש מנות ומשלח ושמחה, "To observe them as days of feasting and gladness and sending mishloach manos to one another...." but it doesn’t state Purim as being a yom tov.
The Gemara (Megillah 5:) answers that Mordechai and Esther wanted Purim to be a yom tov, a day when work is forbidden, but the Jewish nation didn’t accept that aspect of the holiday. The first pasuk we quoted (which mentions yom tov) refers to what Mordechai and Esther wanted to establish, but the next pasuk we mentioned talks about the Purim that the Jewish nation accepted.
The Yismach Moshe asks, if the Jewish nation didn’t accept the yom tov part of Purim, why does the megillah even mention it? Why mention something that didn't occur?
The Yismach Moshe answers that some aspect of yom tov did remain. The Gemara (Beitzah 16.) says that the money one spends on Shabbos, yom tov, or studying Torah is returned to him." In this respect, Purim is a yom tov. Whatever one spends on the Purim seudah will be repaid to him.
The Purim in Holland
Years ago, the crops became infested with worms in Holland, and people feared there wouldn’t be anything to eat. The king of Holland declared a fast day. Everyone had to pray and fast on a designated day to be saved from this disaster. The problem was that the day selected for the fast was Purim.
The Jewish community asked the Maaseh Rokeach whether they should fast on Purim to appease the king or celebrate Purim like every year.
The Maaseh Rokeach replied, “No one should fast. Have festive meals like every year. Tell the storeowners to give meat and fish for free, and I will pay the stores...” That Purim, the goyim were in their churches, praying and fasting, while lehavdil, the Jewish community celebrated Purim as usual.
The day after Purim, the worms vanished. The king of Holland summoned the Maaseh Rokeiach and asked, "Why didn’t the Jewish community obey my decree? I heard you celebrated on the day I commanded everyone to fast and pray."
The king was angry at the Jewish community but also respected them. He held the Maaseh Rokeach in high esteem, and since the worms vanished, he supposed that the Yidden may have acted correctly and that the salvation came from them.
The Maaseh Rokeach replied, “Everyone knows that ישראל בשביל אלא לעולם באה פרעניות אין, when punishment comes to the world, it is because of Bnei Yisrael. So, we understood that our sins are the root of the infestation, and that the solution is for us to do teshuvah and become more loyal to Hashem's commandments. The day you chose for a fast day was Purim, the day Hashem commands us to celebrate. Since we knew that the primary solution to this agricultural problem was to be loyal to Hashem’s decree, we had to celebrate Purim. That was the only way to bring about salvation.”
The king accepted his explanation. (This story is recorded in Divrei Shmuel).
Stories of Salvation at the Purim Seudah
Reb Yisrael Shimon Kastilanetz zt’l related the following story, which he witnessed: One Purim, the Beis Avraham of Slonim zt’l was in Lodz and was eating the Purim meal with his chassidim. Suddenly, the chassid Reb Yidel Rivak z’l came in and said, “My son fell from a high place and hit his head on a stone. He's unconscious, and the doctors say his life is hanging on a thread.”
The Beis Avraham replied, "Give three hundred rubles to tzedakah to support the poor talmidei chachamim of Eretz Yisrael, and b'ezras Hashem, your son will have a refuah sheleimah."
"I don’t have cash on me, but I can give a check," Reb Yidel Ribak replied.
"I hope the check won't bounce like last time,” the Rebbe said.
Reb Yidel Ribak assured the Rebbe that the check was good. The Beis Avraham accepted the check. Then he took an apple from the table, threw it forcefully on Reb Yidel Ribak's head, and shouted, “Go home!”
Reb Yidel replied, “How can I go home? I can't see my son in this situation. He is battling for his life!"
The Rebbe repeated, "Go home." Some of his friends walked him home, and he saw his son walking around, entirely well.
The Moser and the Children
There was once a moser (someone who slandered the Jewish community to the king), whom the Jewish community hated. Young Jewish children would call him "Haman" when they saw him.
The moser complained to the king that children were calling him Haman, so the king decreed that it is forbidden by law to call someone Haman.
But the children didn't give up. They found another way to humiliate him. They called him Ben Hamdasa. The moser went to the king and complained that children were chanting after him, "Ben Hamdasa". So the king decreed that it is forbidden to call anyone Ben Hamdasa.
The children began to say "Kadma v'Azla" when they saw him. They were hinting at the words המן ויבא, which has the trop of kadma v'azla on it.
The moser complained to the king that children were chanting after him Kadma v'Azla. So, once again, the king decreed that it is strictly forbidden to call anyone Kadma v'Azla.
The children found a solution. When they saw him, they sang the tune of kadma v'azla, the tune that is on the words המן ויבא. They kept the rule and didn't call him Kadma v'Azla, but they sang the tune.
The moser complained to the king that children were singing when they saw him. The king said, "I didn't let them call you Haman, Ben Hamdasa, or Kadma v'Azla, but I can't stop them from singing."
The nimshal is that sometimes we daven to Hashem, but the tefillos aren't answered because there are kitrugim that don't permit the tefillos to go up. But when we sing songs, no kitrug can stop it. The King of the world hears the tefillah that is intended in the song and saves Bnei Yisrael.
The custom is to begin the Purim seudah during the daytime and celebrate into the night. This hints that the joy of Purim will banish all distress and sorrows characterized by the nighttime.
The Machzor Vitri (465) writes, “On Purim, everyone has long meals, and Hashem will give them all their requests.”
After the meal at home, many celebrate Purim with their communities (such as their beis medresh, yeshiva, or Rebbe and chassidus). Great salvations can occur at those parties. The Beis Avraham zt'l told that for centuries, countries were ruled by a singular king. His decision was the law, and no one could challenge it. But more recently [there are democracies and] countries aren't run by a singular monarch. Instead, the leader makes a rule, which only becomes law once Congress confirms it.
The Beis Avraham zt'l said that it used to be that one tzaddik made a decree, and that was sufficient to draw salvations. But today, it isn't the tzaddik alone who brings salvations. When a community makes a decree, it will happen. This expresses one of the benefits of spending time with your community on Purim. Together, you can bring yeshuos.
